“The right kind of food is one of the most important factors in the promotion of health; and the wrong kind of food is one of the most important factors in the promotion of disease.”
- Sir Robert McCarrison, a renowned nutritionist

Eating for vitality

To have the necessary energy and strength to get through each day, it is important to eat right. Eating right means making the right food choices in appropriate quantities.

Choosing to be a vegetarian is an individual choice, but it is a well established fact that you can be a vegetarian and still be brimming with energy, vitality and good health.

Your vitality depends upon a careful balance of at least fifty nutrients. They include sources of energy or calories which may come from carbohydrates, fats or proteins and essential nutrients from Vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids. Water is also an important element required by the body.

Did you know?

Deficiency in protein, fat or carbohydrate is rare. Research has shown that almost all types of diseases are caused by an under-supply of various nutrients.

Processed and refined foods lower food value.
For example, wheat has twenty-five nutrients removed in the refining process
that turns it into white flour, yet only four (iron, Vitamin B1, B2 and B3) are
replaced.

Fats should not be eliminated from a diet. They should be consumed sparingly. They contain essential fatty acids that are used for manufacturing important hormones required by the body.

Studies show that vegetarian athletes and body builders perform as well as those who eat meat.

Honey is one of nature's finest energy-giving foods. It is an ideal food that helps increase calcium retention, prevents nutritional anemia and also improves the overall immune system.

Is meat the best source of protein?

All animal products, including dairy products, are considered complete protein sources because they contain all eight essential amino acids (the basic chemical units of protein) that are needed to be healthy.

For vegetarians, foods such as egg, milk and soya proteins actually have better usability ratings than meat. They also provide the B12 nutrition required by the body.

Even vegans (vegetarians who exclude all dairy products and eggs from their diet) can obtain the necessary protein required by their bodies by eating only plant foods. This is possible if the right foods are eaten in right combinations and proportions. For example, legumes eaten with grains or nuts provide the body with sufficient amino acids.

How is it possible to eat right and still be a vegetarian?

More and more people the world over are realizing the exaggerated importance of meat nutritionally.

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) states that, compared to meat eaters, vegetarians have lower incidence rates for high blood pressure, lung cancer and several digestive and degenerative diseases. They are also less likely to have gall stones, kidney stones and constipation.

Why are so many people forsaking meat and turning towards vegetarianism?

The primary reason is health concern. Meats are often treated with hormones and antibiotics that humans are better-off without.

Celebrity spotlight: famous vegetarian celebrities

Today there is a growing list of Hollywood television and sports stars who are turning vegetarian. Having discovered the enormous health benefits gained, it isn’t surprising that vegetarianism is gaining so much popularity. After all, staying fit, trim, energetic and healthy is an integral part of looking and feeling good.